


It's Going To Be A Long Night

by anamnesisUnending



Category: Marvel 616, Young Avengers
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-30 10:25:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5160320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anamnesisUnending/pseuds/anamnesisUnending
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some universes are worse than others, and the team might not be safe in this one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Going To Be A Long Night

“We’ll stop here for a while. Try to get some rest,” America said, glancing around the abandoned, one-room building David had directed them too. It was sturdy, at least sturdy enough to keep anything out, with only one point of entrance. He’d given plenty of reasons it would be the best option, maybe even said what the building had been for, before it had been abandoned. America didn’t remember. She’d been tired, and had other things to worry about. Like the team.

It was clear that the team needed a break. They were in pretty sorry shape, having been going for three weeks, barely stopping, barely sleeping, just chasing after the fake Patriot. And they’d managed to stay on its trail, until now. It had led them into some kind of apocalyptic hellscape, filled with monsters they could only barely get away from. They’d lost the trail during the fight, and though America had searched as soon as she’d gotten the opportunity, it was pretty well gone. Loki might be able to pick it up again, but ze had totally crashed—gods need sleep too, apparently. To make matters worse, Kate had been injured in the fight, and knocked unconscious. David had reassured the team that she’d be alright, but they were still left with no leader and nowhere to go. And somehow, they all looked to America for guidance.

“Is it safe to stay here?” Billy asked her, putting an arm around Teddy’s waist protectively.

“Safe as we’re gonna get,” America said with weary authority. “I’ll be keeping watch for anything dangerous.”

Teddy looked unconvinced. “You shouldn’t be alone,” he said as he set his hand over Billy’s where it rested on his hip.

“I could keep watch with you,” Billy began, but stopped as America started to frown.

“No. Both of you are exhausted; I can’t afford to be looking after you and keeping an eye out for anything else coming our way,” America argued. Without acknowledging either of them any further, she turned and called across the room, “Noh-Varr. You and me are standing guard.”

Noh-Varr, who’d been sitting with David next to Kate’s unconscious body, turned their head to meet America’s eyes and gave a quick salute in recognition of her request. They said something to David, then walked over to join her by the door.

America looked back to Billy and Teddy. Billy looked like he was about to argue, but the look America gave him stopped him before the words left his mouth. He and Teddy left to find a place to sleep.

Noh-Varr gave America a brief nod, and leaned against one side of the empty doorframe to look out into the dry, ravaged landscape around them.

“Kate gonna be alright?” America asked.  
“Yeah, David says she’ll be fine,” Noh-Varr said. They didn’t sound convinced.

“Hey, Kate’s tough, she’ll pull through. And David knows just about everything, so I figure if he says she’s okay, she’s okay,” America said. “How are you holding up?”

“Fine,” Noh-Varr said. “You?”

“Fine,” America said, sharper than she’d intended.

“Going to be a long night,” Noh-Varr said, sitting down.

“Yeah,” America agreed. She stepped past them and shifted nervously, looking around.

Neither of them spoke for a while. America paced slowly in front of the building, and Noh-Varr pulled out their headphones to untangle the wires. The sun finally fell over the horizon, the bloody red of its last light fading into grey dusk. There were no trees in sight, just a few other crumbling buildings just distant enough to leave America feeling exposed and isolated. She paced faster. When the light was barely enough for her to see Noh’s vague silhouette, America decided she couldn’t be here in the emptiness and the silence anymore.

“I’m going to check on the team,” she told Noh-Varr, and they nodded their acceptance.

Inside was even darker. She moved slowly to avoid running into any of her teammates, and carefully found each of them.

At the back corner of the room, she nudged Loki with her foot, but got no response. She’d let the kid sleep; the rest of them team had gone to sleep too, for the most part. She figured it wouldn’t do any good to be waking any of them now. She hoped she wouldn’t regret the decision.

Only a few feet away, Kate was still unconscious. David slept curled up beside her. America was glad to see that. If David was sleeping, it meant he had faith that Kate would recover without his help, and it meant he was taking care of himself before needlessly worrying about others. She’d been afraid he wouldn’t.

Against one of the walls, Teddy slept soundly, snoring quietly, and with an arm slung around Billy’s waist. Billy himself, though, was still awake, propped up on one elbow and watching America. She crouched down next to him.

“Thought I told you to get some sleep,” she said, quiet enough that she wouldn’t wake Teddy.

“I can’t,” he said.

“You need to,” America said. She didn’t have time to argue with him over this.

“You should’ve let me keep watch with you,” he said.

“You wanna tell me why?” she asked.

“Because I’m powerful? Because this place is dangerous? Because if you run into trouble, I probably have the best chance of beating it and keeping everyone safe?” Billy offered. “It’s not that I don’t like Noh-Varr. I mean, sure, they’ve proven we can trust them. But you know I’d be better in a fight in a place like this.”

America gave a frustrated sigh.

“You know it’s true,” Billy said. “I don’t know why you’re here, but I know you know what I can do.”

“Uh huh,” she said, her tone almost angry, almost bored. “And what use is all your power going to be if you get taken out in the first couple minutes of a fight?”

“I won’t--” Billy began.

“You really think you’re in any condition to be fighting right now?” America interrupted. “Billy, I get it, okay? Yeah, you’re powerful. And if I thought there was any chance we could win a fight here, I’d absolutely pick you to stand guard with me. But what we’re up against here isn’t something we can beat. Not even with you. I need you to understand that. There’s some serious shit in the multiverse, and we could be up against some of the worst of it. If it comes to a fight, I’m not looking at who’s gonna win it for us, I’m looking at who’s going to survive it long enough for me to get everyone out. And Noh-Varr’s damn near indestructible. If anyone’s going to survive here, if anyone’s going to survive maybe being left behind…”

When America didn’t continue on, Billy said in quiet horror, “It’ll be them.”

America turned her head away from him.

“I, uh, I don’t really think this is gonna help me get to sleep,” Billy said.

“I’m sorry,” America said. “Things probably won’t come to that, I’m just… yeah. I’m sorry. I should go. Gotta keep an eye on things.”

She stood up and left before he said anything, and when she glanced back over her shoulder he was lying down, eyes closed.

It was darker outside when she returned to the doorway where Noh-Varr was sitting, still twisting the cords of their headphones silently.

“Nothing new,” she reported, standing over them. “Loki’s still asleep. Almost everyone is now, really.”

“Except Billy?” Noh-Varr asked.

America felt the blood drain from her face. She couldn’t see Noh’s expression. “What did you hear?” she asked, trying to stay calm.

“Everything,” they said. “I assume I wasn’t supposed to?”

America cursed. “I’m sorry,” she said.

Noh seemed to ignore her apology. “Your decision is… tactically sound,” they said. “You’re right to believe I could outlast many of our teammates, and if worst comes to worst I think you would succeed in your goal to minimize any harm that would come to the team. You make a good leader.” Though they sounded calm, they were still looking at the ground, and wrapping the cords of their headphones around their fingers nervously, then unraveling it, over and over again.

America felt something boiling under her skin. Fear, or anger, or some unholy combination of both and something else. But there was no one, nothing to direct it at. She felt like screaming. “But I’m not the leader,” she said. “Kate is the leader, and Kate would never do this to you. I shouldn’t have the authority to throw your life away.”

“Kate would understand the difficulty of the choice you were presented with. And besides, I knew what I was signing up for,” Noh said.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” America gave up trying to hold the feeling under her skin. She kicked at the doorframe, shattering an already crumbling spot in the decaying wood. “You signed up for like, makeout sessions with Kate, and fighting Skrulls, and space vacations, and I don’t know. Definitely not dying in some backwater apocalyptic wasteland universe.”

“No one is dying here,” Noh-Varr said sharply. Then, more thoughtfully, “America, before I came to Earth-616 I was travelling with the 18th Kree Diplomatic Gestalt. We got lost in the multiverse; we saw countless worlds just as doomed as this one, and we survived all of them. The second we left the 616th parallel I knew this would be a possibility. And I accepted that. Billy may not know what we’re up against, but I do, and I am willing to face it to ensure the team’s survival.”

America sighed heavily and sat down next to Noh-Varr. After a moment she reached out and grabbed their wrist. They finally turned their head to look at her, and she stared directly into their eyes. “I’m not leaving you here,” she said. “ Forget what I said to Billy. It doesn’t matter if you’d survive long enough for me to come back and find you; I’m not leaving you in the first place. Got it?”

They dropped their headphones, and their nervous hands fell still. “Thank you,” they said softly.

“And don’t try to act all logical and noble about this, okay? You’re not fooling anyone by acting like you’re not scared,” she said.

“Fair enough,” they said. Then they turned their hand in her grasp, so they could hold onto her too. “But if you value honesty so much, then don’t tell me you’re fine when you aren’t.”

America ran her free hand through her hair, “I guess I’m kind of a mess right now,” she said.

“I know you want to protect the team, but you have to remember that you’re part of it too. We’re all looking out for you. When we get out of this verse, you and I should both get some sleep; things will be better when we’re not so tired.”

America nodded, and reluctantly rested her head against Noh’s shoulder for a moment.

It was going to be a long night.


End file.
